Disclaimer: I don't own One Piece. I only own my OC, Aurora.
Okay, so with this chapter we end the Syrup Village arc. I'm also excited to announce that Sanji will be introduced in the next chapter! Wonder how Aurora will react to him? Obviously I know because I'm the author, but what do you think?
I hope to have chapter 18 up soon! Until then!
Chapter 17
"What was that noise?!"
Kaya and the boys had just left, Jango chasing after them. Not a sound had been heard until now. The crackle of trees toppling over could be heard even from this distance.
Kuro spoke up. "Well, that's probably just Jango losing his temper. You can see for yourself, but you will probably be too late…"
"We'd better hurry." Zoro said, shifting into a battle ready stance.
"Can you?"
"Damn!" Usopp cursed. "You two have stayed together for three years! Don't you have any feelings for her?!"
"No." Kuro answered. "As I've said before, Kaya is just a pawn in my plan. And if she dies, I might actually thank her…"
"This guy's beyond saving!"
"I never thought of saving him!" Luffy said in response to Zoro's comment.
"I can't let you do whatever you want!" Usopp shouted. 'Must go and save them! Otherwise, they'll all be killed! There's not a second to lose!'
Kuro watched as Usopp began to move. "Oh, you can still move. Impressive. Buchi!"
The man reacted, charging towards Usopp. "SHHYAAA!"
A blade came to rest against the Nyaban brother's neck, stopping him in his tracks. Zoro gazed down upon his opponent. "Don't get in the way. We're… in a hurry.!"
The swordsman flung Buchi down, keeping a katana placed across his throat. "You've messed around enough! I won't kill you, if you just lie down quietly!"
Zoro's fixation on his opponent was interrupted when a certain liar flopped to the ground. If it weren't for the situation, his position would be a bit more comical considering his butt was sticking straight up in the air.
"Usopp!" Luffy cried out in alarm.
"Da… damn it! I can't… move my body!"
Kuro began to laugh. "Hah hah hah hah hah… you're a joke! It's probably safer for you to lie down here anyway. Even if you can catch up with Jango, you're still no match for him!"
"Even if I'm no match for him… I'll still protect them! I WILL PROTECT THEM!"
Aurora felt a faint smile form. She admired Usopp for his courage. He was willing to risk his life to protect the people he held dear.
'And yet what did I do?' Aurora thought. 'I ran away and left my friends and family to suffer his wrath. I know they wanted me to leave for my own safety, but it still meant abandoning them. Perhaps one day I can rectify my mistake and save them all from him.'
"ARRGHH!"
The sound tore Aurora from the dark thoughts running through her mind. Buchi had used Usopp's distraction to his advantage and flung Zoro into the cliffside.
"I'm the Captain of Usopp Pirate Group! I'm a brave warrior of the sea! I won't let you hurt the villagers!"
The Kuro pirates began to mock Usopp. "Hehehehe! Look at him, shouting out load in a weird style like that!"
"So pathetic!"
"Gyaahahahahahahahahahaha!"
A boulder being thrown in their direction, along with razor sharp feathers from Aurora, shut the group up quick.
"If you dare laugh at Usopp again, I will… kill you all!" Luffy threatened, glaring out of the corner of his eye.
"SHHYAAAA!" Buchi attacked Zoro once more, the swordsman blocking his claws with all three of his katana.
"Hey! Buchi neko! You moron. I thought I already warned you… don't get in the way!" Zoro swiftly made his move, slicing the cat man across his chest once more. "OUTTA THE WAY!"
"AHH!" the Kuro pirates cried out. "Even the hypnotized Buchi was…"
Sheathing his swords, Zoro turned to his captain. "Luffy, I'm gonna take Usopp and go after that bastard hypnotist!" he hefted Usopp over his shoulder. "Do you have any problem with that?"
"Nope! Go quickly!"
"S… sorry." Usopp apologized.
"It would actually be faster if I go alone, but we're going into the woods… and if you don't guide me, I won't be able to find them."
"Hey, you!" Kuro interrupted brandishing his cat claws. "Who said you could get through me?"
"I DID!"
Kuro had to dodge as Luffy punched at the man.
"Go Zoro! Go Usopp!" the straw hat captain sent a glance in Aurora's direction. "Aurora, help them look!"
"Right!" the half-angel nodded in agreement. Going with those two meant leaving Nami, but something told Aurora she'd be fine. Buchi was out cold and the Kuro pirates were too invested in the fight between their captain and Luffy. The navigator would go unnoticed.
Releasing her wings, Aurora took to the skies, heading in the direction Zoro and Usopp had taken off. They could search on the ground and she could search from the skies. The berry-haired teen flinched when the sound of more trees falling reached her ears. She had to find Kaya and the boys quick!
"Open your eyes, little girl!" a voice rang out.
Aurora froze in mid-air, recognizing said voice. Jango was nearby somewhere. She had to find out which direction his voice came from.
"If that's the case, I'll have to open them by force!"
"AHHH!"
Jango never saw the figure coming. Aurora used her powers to blast the hypnotist away from Kaya, coming to stand between the girl and her assailant. The blast had temporarily dazed the man, but it wouldn't last long.
Aurora gripped Kaya by the arm, helping the sickly girl up. "Come, we have to move."
"Angel-san!"
Aurora smiled lightly at the three boys that approached her. "I'm glad to see you awake. Now let's move."
The sound of Jango groaning caused the group to freeze. It would seem he'd already begun to recover. Holding a finger up to her lips in a sign to be quiet, Aurora shifted Kaya behind one of the surrounding trees. The boys followed closely, crouching behind some bushes.
"Damn woman! Where did they hide?!" Jango growled. "The girl's gone too… damn it!"
So focused was she on Jango, Aurora hadn't even noticed that two of the boys had climbed up the tree. Onion stood on a limb, shovel held above his head. The boy jumped from his perch, intent on hitting Jango.
"Don't get too cocky." He drawled, grabbing Onion around the neck.
"ONION!" the boys cried out.
"You've played you little pirate game too far… since you're stupid enough to interfere in a real pirate's business, you can all go to hell and… REPENT! DIE!"
With his final words, Jango threw Onion to the ground, no doubt seriously injuring the boy.
"YOU BASTARD!" Carrot and Pepper roared.
Aurora saw red.
The half-angel cried out in rage, ramming her shoulder into the hypnotist's stomach. The man grunted in pain, but was able to grab hold of the woman, flinging her to the side. Aurora spread her wings, catching herself mid-air. Hands glowing yellow with her holy powers, Aurora threw bolt after bolt of energy at Jango. The woman became more frustrated as Jango continually danced out of the way of her attacks.
'Control your rage, Aurora! If you're not careful you might hit Kaya or one of the boys!'
Taking a deep breath, Aurora flew forward once more, ready to tackle Jango to the ground. If she could hold him down long enough, Kaya and the boys could escape. Not only would they be safer for a little bit longer, but it would give Zoro and Usopp a chance to find the group.
Pain erupted throughout Aurora's body. The half-angel screamed out in pain, collapsing to the ground. Jango had managed to attack her with his blades when she was charging at him. Not only had he hit her shoulder in the same place, he'd sliced the edge of one of her wings. The wounds weren't large, but they ran deep.
Cradling her shoulder and curling her wing closer to her body, Aurora tried not to whimper in pain. 'My arm's practically useless if I can't move my shoulder! Even if I tried attacking I wouldn't be fast enough without being able to fly! Where are Zoro and Usopp!?'
Kaya cried out. "Please stop it! I'll write the will! Just stop hurting everyone!"
Aurora lifted her head, taking note of the scene before her. Sometime after she'd fallen, Carrot and Pepper had taken to trying to attack Jango. The result was not good. All three boys now appeared to be out cold. There was no one left to protect Kaya.
"Since you won't listen…" Kaya brandished one of Jango's rings, holding the blade to her throat. "I will kill myself! And you won't get the will!"
"Wah! Wait!" Jango pleaded. "Don't make a stupid decision! I just want the will, if I don't get it, I'll be in big trouble! Okay, I'll let them go! Not like they can escape anyway!"
From out of his coat, Jango handed Kaya both paper and pen. The girl kneeled before a tree stump, writing out her will on the paper. Aurora huffed, willing her powers to heal her injuries faster. The wing was her first priority. If she could fly again, she could track down Zoro and Usopp for help.
"I'm leaving all of my inheritance to my butler, Klahadore." Jango read. "Good, this is definitely your will. That even saved me time hypnotizing you..." Jango began to twirl his blades. "Now, you have to die! If you're still alive… the will's no better than a piece of scrap paper!"
"You promised me, you won't hurt the others!"
"Don't worry!" Jango soothed. "I'm a man who keeps his words."
As Jango began to raise his blades, Aurora felt her powers pulse inside of her. Eyes widening in shock, the half-angel craned her head in the direction she felt the approaching auras. Zoro and Usopp had finally found them.
Fighting back the tears that threatened to fall, Aurora cried out. "ZORO!"
The swordsman heard her cry, dropping Usopp and making his way towards them. "Damn hypnotist, you can't do anything now!"
"What! He caught up with me!" Jango grabbed Kaya by the neck, holding a blade up. "I should finish you off quickly!"
Forcing herself up, Aurora stopped healing her wounds and focused on forming a shield around Kaya. At that same moment, the Usopp Pirate Group popped up from their spots on the ground.
"Don't even think about it!"
The three boys attacked Jango. They may have caused the man temporary pain, but that just seemed to irritate him even further.
Jango flung around, kicking the boys away. "YOU DAMN BRATS!"
Turning his attention back to Kaya, Jango began to reach for the girl once more. His hand stopped short when it bounced off a solid surface. Retracting his hand as if it'd been burned, Jango growled when he saw a yellow shield protecting Kaya from harm.
Aurora smirked, shouting out. "Zoro! Usopp! Now!"
"Got it!" Zoro responded. The swordsman charged in their direction, unsheathing a katana to cut off a tree branch. Zoro grinned at the confusion on Jango's face.
"Good! That tree branch was blocking the way!"
"What?!"
"Usopp-san…" Kaya breathed.
"CAPTAAAIN!"
Zoro paused, grin still on his face as he propped his katana on his shoulder.
Usopp took aim. "Eat this hypnotist! Special technique Kayakuboshi!"
The pellet hit Jango square in the face, knocking him away from Kaya. "BUUAAAAAAHH!"
The damage was done. Jango was down for the count and Kaya was safe. Aurora breathed a sigh of relief, lowering the shield she'd erected around the girl. Now that she wasn't focusing on that, she could continue to heal her wounds.
Zoro sheathed his katana, tying his bandana back around his bicep. He made his way over to the half-angel as Usopp went over to Kaya and the boys.
"Oi, you all right?"
Aurora glanced up, mouth quirking up in a smile. "I just need some time to heal myself. I've never really had wounds like this so it might take a while."
Zoro grunted in response, crouching down in front of the girl. Aurora stared at the swordsman in confusion. What was he doing?
Zoro glanced back at the half-angel. "Are you gonna hop on or not?"
Realization sparked inside Aurora. Zoro was offering her a ride back to the slope. Getting to her feet, the half-angel looped her arms around the swordsman's neck. Slowly rising, Zoro gripped Aurora under her knees so that she wouldn't slide off. The swordsman began to walk off, leaving Usopp to have some privacy with Kaya and the boys.
Aurora breathed a sigh of relief, resting her head on Zoro's shoulder. "Thank you."
She wasn't sure if she imagined it or not, but Aurora swore she felt the swordsman tense at her action. And… was that a blush on his cheeks? Aurora dismissed the thought. The blood loss was just making her imagine things.
"Thank you! It's all thanks to you!"
The Straw Hat Pirates were all gathered back at the slope, Usopp having just joined them. Luffy was spread eagle on the ground, Nami and Aurora on either side of him. Zoro was off to the side, leaning against the wall of the cliff.
"If it weren't for you guys… the village couldn't have been protected."
"What are you saying?" Zoro asked with a grin. "If you hadn't done anything, I wouldn't have either."
"Same here." Luffy agreed.
"That doesn't matter, I was able to get the treasure." Nami replied, hugging the treasure bag she'd stolen from the Kuro Pirates to her chest.
Aurora smiled. "It was the right thing to do."
"In light of this… there's a decision I've made…" Usopp announced.
"Huh?"
Aurora watched in disgust as across the table Luffy stuck a hand down his throat, pulling a bone out.
"Phew… I got it!"
"Idiot… it's because your throat isn't trained enough to handle fish bones." Zoro chided.
"If you eat a fish, this is what usually remains." Nami added, holding up the remains of her fish.
After their battle with Kuro and his gang of pirates, the crew had gone back to the café they'd first eaten in and ordered a meal. Of course, the girls changed outfits first. After all, Aurora had blood on her shirt from her wounds and some of it had gotten on Nami's as well. Nami now had on a pink t-shirt with the letters 'wb' on the front inside of an oval. Aurora had shed her t-shirt in favor of a teal tank top, switched out her skirt for light blue capris and changed into heeled sandals.
"Well, we had our meal. We should get going." Zoro decided.
"You're right." Luffy agreed, chomping on the fish bone he'd retrieved from his throat.
The bell above the café entrance dinged, alerting the occupants to a new arrival. All four Straw Hat pirates turned and came face to face with Kaya.
"Oh, so this is where you guys are…"
"Hey Ojousama!" Luffy greeted.
"Don't you need to stay in bed?" Nami asked, Aurora looking the girl over in concern from next to the navigator.
"No." Kaya replied. "I've been sick like this for a year. Ever since I lost my parents that day… Usopp-san encouraged me. That's why I can't be so weak now. Anyway, I heard that you guys needed a ship!"
"A ship!" Luffy cheered. "You're gonna give us one?"
"Hey…"
"A caravel!"
"Wow!"
Situated in the ocean before the Straw Hat Pirates was the ship Kaya had mentioned. The ship before them was indeed a caravel and obviously designed by Merry, if the sheep figurehead was anything to go by. While it wasn't what one would consider a pirate ship, Aurora knew it suited the crew well. It was different, just like each member of the crew.
"I've been waiting for you…" Merry announced. "It's slightly old style, but I designed it myself. It's a caravel and it uses a staysail… the controls are in the back. It's called Going Merry!" Merry looked closely at the four. "So it is you who defeated the Kuro-Neko Pirates with Usopp-kum. I thought you'd be a little bigger…"
"We can really take this!?" Luffy asked excitedly.
Kaya smiled at the boy's enthusiasm. "Yes, I insist."
"I will explain the steering system…" Merry began, turning to Luffy. "First of all, in order to adjust the yards in relation to the crew garnet…"
Nami sweatdropped. "Don't explain it to him, I'll listen to the explanation."
"This is a cool ship!" Luffy declared.
"I had everything you would need for a voyage loaded onto the ship." Kaya explained.
"Thank for causing all this trouble!"
Zoro sighed. "That's "for going through all this trouble"…"
"WAAAAAHH! STOP ME PLEASE!"
"Usopp-san!" Kaya cried out.
It was true. Usopp himself was rolling down the slope, an obviously overpacked bag strapped to his back.
"GYAAAAAAAA!"
"What's he doing?" Luffy asked.
"I think we should stop him…" Zoro suggested. "If he keeps on going like that, he'll hit the ship."
As Usopp continued to roll closer, Luffy and Zoro both stuck a leg out. The result was that Usopp was stopped, but he had feet planted on his face.
"…Th… Thank you…"
"No problem." They chimed.
"So you are going to the sea… Usopp-san?"
"Yeah. I have to go before I change my mind. Please don't stop me."
"I won't…" Kaya responded. "I've figured that you might do this. It really makes me sad though."
"Next time I come to this village, I'll tell you adventure stories that are more unbelievable than lies."
Kaya smiled. "Thank you. I look forward to it."
"Well, safe voyage guys!" Usopp called out. "Hope to see you again somewhere!"
"Why?" Lufffy questioned, leaning against the ship's railing.
"Huh, why? Sheesh… you're such a cold hearted man… we're both going to be pirates now, so we might meet again on the high seas…"
"What are you talking about?" Zoro grumbled. "Hurry up and get on board!"
"What?"
"You're already our companion, aren't you?" Luffy asked as if it was the simplest thing in the world.
"Wha…" Usopp couldn't believe his ears. "I… I'm the captain right!?"
"No way! I'm the captain!" Luffy roared.
"To a new ship and a new crew member!"
"CHEERS!"
The Straw Hat Pirates all cheered, holding up mugs of ale to celebrate. They had set sail and were now ready to begin their journey anew.
Aurora beamed, taking in the scene before her. 'For the first time in my life, things are starting to look up.'
The Going Merry was happily sailing along. Syrup Village and the battle with the Kuro Pirates was now far behind them. At the end of it all, the Straw Hat Pirates had gained a new crewmember.
"ALRIGHT! OUR PIRATE FLAG IS DONE!"
Zoro, Nami, Aurora and Usopp all stood before Luffy, taking in the symbol he'd painted on the flag he held.
"HAHAHA!" Luffy laughed. "I put a lot of thought into making our symbol!"
"O-Our… symbol…" Zoro stammered out, his face disbelieving.
Usopp's jaw had dropped wide open. "Calling him artistically challenged would be an understatement…"
"No… this could be some sort of abstract art…" Nami countered.
"A pirate's flag should be a symbol of death, but this flag is… well… I guess it's quite terrifying in a sense." Zoro concluded.
"It's doesn't look great, but in Luffy's case it seems fitting." Aurora piped up.
"Whaddya think? Hee hee!"
"You're beyond terrible!" Usopp complained. "Leave the drawing to me!"
Not that long after, Usopp held up a flag with his design on it. The symbol represented Usopp this time.
Luffy and Zoro cuffed him over the head. "You completely changed the symbol!"
After some bouts of whining and complaining, Nami and Aurora managed to break the boys apart and they were all able to agree that they'd go with Luffy's symbol. Only this time, Usopp would paint it on the flag instead.
"Wow, that's perfect!" Nami raved. Aurora nodded her head in agreement. Luffy had a good idea, he just didn't have the skills to implement it. Thankfully, Usopp was able to do so.
"There we go."
"It doesn't look even remotely like the other one." Zoro pointed out.
"That's great!" Luffy cheered. "Draw one on our sail too later!"
"Yeah well, I've honed my artistic talents by drawing on the walls of people's homes for years." Usopp bragged. "I'm quite the master artist, you know."
"Alright, it's done! With this, our pirate ship Going Merry is ready for action!"
Usopp and Nami were collapsed on the floor of the deck, Zoro leaning against the mast and Aurora sitting on the nearby steps. A loud BANG! caused them all to flinch.
"Hey, what're you doing all of a sudden!?" Zoro shouted at Luffy, who had just fired a cannon.
"I'm testing out our cannon! It'd be a waste not to make good use of it. But I can't get it to fire well…"
Usopp made his way over to their captain. "Stand aside, my amateur friend!"
Luffy pointed out in the distance. "Try aiming for that rock!"
"Ok!" Usopp declared. "Judging the distance between here and the target… this should about do it…"
Adjusting the cannon, Usopp fired a shot. It was dead on, decimating the rock Lufffy had indicated earlier.
"Holy crap! You hit it on your first shot!"
Usopp seemed surprised. "You're right, I did!" the teen quickly did an about face. "I mean, of course I did! I'm an expert when it comes to all things aiming! Feel free to bow down before me and address me as Captain!"
"I've decided! You can be our sniper!" Luffy declared.
The group had moved inside to the galley, which hosted a kitchen, a lounge, and the helm. Nami, Aurora, Luffy and Usopp sat the table, while Zoro sat on the floor and lounged against the wall.
"Alright, I guess I can settle for that for the time being." Usopp agreed. "But if you ever chicken out from your duties, I'll take charge as the ship's captain."
"Alright, fine." Luffy conceded. "Hey, I just had an idea! There's still one crucial position of a pirate crew we need to fill before entering the Grand Line."
"That's right, we do have this fantastic kitchen after all." Nami agreed. "Of course, I could do it as long as I get paid."
"An indispensable crew member for long voyages." Zoro put in.
"You think so too right? Yup, what a pirate ship crew really needs is… a musician!"
Aurora heaved out a sigh as the others began to berate Luffy for his thinking.
"Are you retarded!?"
"And here I thought you were going to say something smart for the first time in your life!"
"Do you have any idea what sailing on the seas is like!?"
"B-but a pirate's gotta sing!"
Aurora glanced at her captain. "Luffy, a musician isn't high on the list of priorities right now. I believe it can wait."
"COME OUT YOU DAMN PIRATES! I'M GONNA SLAUGHTER ALL OF YOU!"
The group all jerked in shock, the sounds of things being destroyed on deck reaching their ears.
Luffy got up from his seat, stomping over and flinging the door open. "HEY! JUST WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE!?"
"Who am I? I should be asking…" the man swung his sword at Luffy. "WHO THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU ARE!"
Aurora, Nami and Usopp all peeked out the porthole.
Zoro looked over at the three, remaining in his spot. "How many enemies are out there?"
"Just one… I think." Nami answered.
"Oh, then let Luffy deal with him." Zoro responded, not even the least bit worried.
"I've killed countless infamous pirates… and yet a nameless person like you… DARES TO KILL MY PARTNER!?"
Aurora blinked in confusion. "Did he just say Luffy killed his partner?"
As the man rush forward once more, Luffy jumped up and grabbed his attacker by the head. "I don't know who you're talking about, but don't… WRECK MY SHIP!"
Luffy tossed the man into the wall of the ship. Said man choked when he impacted, falling to the floor.
"A-almost had him…"
Luffy sat on the deck, picking his hat up from where it'd fallen off his head. "Just what the heck, are you shouting about anyways?"
At that exact moment, Zoro walked out of the galley. "Huh? Hey! Aren't you Johnny!?"
The man, now identified as Johnny, jumped up. "Z-Zoro!? Is that really you, bro!?"
"Where's Yosaku? Isn't he usually with you?"
"H-He's…!"
"They know each other?" Usopp questioned.
From next to him, Nami appeared just as confused. "Just what's going on?"
"Yosaku is…!"
"SICK!?"
"Yeah…" Johnny replied. "He was just fine a couple days ago. But all of a sudden he turned pale and kept passing out! I don't know what he's come down with… his teeth have begun to fall out, and his old wounds have reopened! I just don't know what to do anymore. I was trying to at least let him get some rest on top of that rock but…"
Aurora flinched when she realized where this story was going. 'Perhaps I should've gone on ahead and checked to make sure no one was in the vicinity when the cannon was fired?'
"All of a sudden, this ship fired a cannonball at us!"
Usopp and Luffy gaped before bowing in apology. "W-we're truly, truly sorry."
"It's fine, what's done is done… if all problems could be solved with a simple apology, there wouldn't be any need for policemen."
As Johnny continued to ramble on, Nami leaned towards Aurora. "Are they really that dense?"
Aurora blinked. "What do you mean?"
Nami sighed in frustration. "I mean that it's obvious what's wrong with that guy."
Aurora furrowed her brow, thinking back to the symptoms Johnny had described. "You're right. It's so obvious. How could he not recognize the problem?"
"I don't know, but I'm getting tired of this." Nami turned her attention back to the boys. "God, how thick could you get!"
Zoro turned to the girl. "What did you just say!?"
Johnny turned as well. "Lady, I won't let you go free if you dare to make a mockery of my partner's suffering…"
Aurora chose this time to speak up. "Luffy! Usopp! There's some limes in the kitchen. Could you please go squeeze the juice out and bring it back here?"
The two boys looked at Aurora in confusion. "Why?"
"Just do what she said!" Nami roared.
The two raced off. "R-roger!"
"Limes?"
As Luffy and Usopp forced Yosaku to drink the lime juice, Nami began to explain. "He's afflicted with scurvy. If we're not too late, he should recover just fine in a few days."
"A-are you telling me the truth, sis!?"
"Please don't call me sis."
Aurora continued from where Nami left off. "In the past, scurvy was practically a death sentence for sailors. It's caused by lack of nutrients found in fruits and vegetables."
"That's right." Nami picked up. "It was quite common back then because ships simply didn't have the technology to effectively store fresh fruits and vegetables for long periods of time…"
"Wooow!" Luffy marveled. "You're like a doctor!"
"Yeah, I always knew that girl was special. Usopp's eyes are never wrong."
Aurora was about to call Usopp out on his lie when Nami began to berate the boys. "If you're going to be sailing, you should know at least this much. God, your stupidity will be the death of all of you!"
Yosaku chose that moment to burst to life. "Alright, I'm charged up on nutrients and ready for action!"
"Haha, my partner's fine now!"
"Like hell he could recover that fast!" Nami seethed.
Aurora reached out to calm the navigator down as the men stopped their little jig. They took that time to get more serious.
"Sorry for the late introductions. The name's Johnny!"
"And I'm Yosaku! Zoro used to bounty hunt with us in the past! Nice to meet you all!" Yosaku leaned forward. "I don't know how to thank you. I thought I bit the dust for sure."
"Well color me surprised!" Johnny chimed in. "I never would've expected the infamous Pirate Hunter Zoro to have become a pirate himself!"
"Blargh!" Yosaku spurted out, blood dripping from his mouth as he fell over.
"Yosaku!"
"Just shut up and get some rest already!" Zoro chided.
Nami took a seat on the nearby stairs. "Let this be a lesson to the rest of you…"
"These are the kinds of danger we'll have to face on long voyages." Zoro finished.
Usopp leaned back against the mast. "He would've died for sure if he hadn't come across us. We definitely need someone to think about our diet to see to it that we stay healthy. What we need is a "chef of the sea"."
"If you think about it, that's one of the most important talents to have when you're out on the seas." Nami concluded.
"Alright, I've decided then! Let's go look for a sea cook!" Luffy declared. "Eating good food is never a bad thing!"
Johnny raised his hand. "Bro!"
"What is it, Johnny?"
"If you're looking for a cook, I know just the place. Of course, getting one to join you is another matter altogether…"
With that, Johnny told the crew of the place they should go to.
"A restaurant on the seas!?"
"That's right." Johnny nodded. "You should be able to reach it from here in 2-3 days. But that place is close to the Grand Line so you gotta be careful. Lotta dangerous guys around those parts. Even that "Hawk-Eyed Man", you've been looking for has been sighted there once before."
Aurora took note of how Zoro froze at that last part. Obviously the comment was directed at Zoro, but the half-angel couldn't help but wonder.
'Who is that "Hawk-Eyed Man" Zoro is looking for? What could he possibly want with him?'
Johnny's next statement broke her out of her thoughts. "If it's alright with you, I'll lead the way!"
"Alright!" the others cheered.
Picking up the odd duo, Yosaku and Johnny, the ship changes direction slightly to the North. Their destination: the restaurant on the seas.
